LitRPG authors, what do you do with the maxed out skill after?

[NotaNuffian]

System designers/ LitRPG writers, what do you do with maxed out skills by the MCs?

So this thread can also be for LitRPG/ system readers as well because I am actually seeking experience from the masses right now.

So far I had seen the following:
1. The Never Ending Story: basically the skill can keep on leveling up until god forbides when. It is an indicator of MC skill level so it just keeps on going up non-stop for the entire story.
2. Evolution: from a level 1 skill "basic sword moves", it then evolves into "intermediate sword moves" -> "advanced sword moves" and so on and so forth. Bonus if author shows some intergrity by throwing in branches along the evolution path.
3. Maxed out and forgotten: the starter skill has been maxed out. Now it just sits on the blue table/ table of content until someone complains about word count and it becomes one with the "..." masses.
4. Merging: skills maxed out are then thrown into the blender and out birthed a new skill. I had seen this gimmick fair bit of times and to be honest, it is fine.

So what other method/s did you see authors deal with maxed out skills?

 

[TheKillingAlice]

I decided for mine to have some skills that can go through evolution. In that, they max out and change, as you put it in your example - the beginner become intermediate, becomes advanced, and so on. The new one overwrites the former, until the top of the skill tree is reached. At that point they are simply there and become part of the [...].
Might be the most boring version, but I find it to be the most goal oriented and based. Randomly being able to mix and mash would just end up being more confusing

 

[Empress_Omnii]

I think you've mentioned all I can think of when tired... but sometimes skills are just deleted or replaced.

 

[Alski]

A new hidden level that has been forgotten from the worlds recent history because no one had managed to achieve it.

 

[Syringe]

I've found a couple of ways.

One is where a maxed out Skill unlocks a 'Mastery' of sorts, which is a hidden skill unlocked at the very end. Levelling comes to a hold, but that doesn't mean the person/user can't improve in other ways (i.e, 'how' they use this Skill). Additionally, that Skill can be used different from how it was originally used, opening future options. The actual Skill itself can also have its name changed and effects upgraded to a new version, but would still remain maxed.

Another is where that Skill can be temporary amplified. It works sort of like a 'limit break'. For example, a Skill called [Thermal Propagation] becomes [Detonation] at a steep cost.

Furthermore, some maxed or even unmaxed Skills can be used or implemented in other ways. For example, they can be converted into technology or into bullets to increase their effectiveness/range/etc.

Then, there's a more convoluted end-game method I use where certain Skills require a person to use emotional trauma as a fuel to bring out a significantly powerful variant. However, they take a massive toll on a person - also uses a different kind of 'MP', unlike the previous things. Has varying stages.

Lastly, and on top of the last point, maxed Skills at the ultra end game can reach an ultimate form that reflects a character's growth. For example, there's one character whose maxed Skill was about using electricity to increase her speed. The emotional-fuelled versions were strong, but are incomparable to this variation as it lets them move at a fraction of the speed of light - which is due to their overwhelming desire to not be left behind. It uses a completely different and enigmatic form of 'MP'. Also has varying stages.

 

[LilRora]

Other than all good ideas above, one method I've seen is assimilation, so as a character learns to use an ability better and more naturally, it becomes more intrinsic to their being and at some point disappears from the status, as the system no longer assists them with using the skill. It can be developed even further or modified to fit specific worldbuilding - you can have assimilation as a well-known and expected step before manual development of some metaphysical or magical identity of the skill. I like this general idea a lot, though it requires a specific setting to work in the first place.

A smaller related idea, you've already mentioned something similar but I want to make a distinction, if you build the world with the assumption that the system is limited, you can place specific limits to system assistance, past which the system may still track the level of the skill but only raise it in response to individual progress, or it may be incapable of tracking the level of the ability as something outside the system's purview. Or, going the other way, if the system is limited but skills do not come from it, the skill may continue progressing like normal, but the system will throw an error at some arbitrarily high level.

Another cool idea I've seen is chaos. The specific example I'm thinking about is not a LitRPG, but it is a story where every single person has a unique soul, architecture of which births innate abilities that work on the same principles as regular magic, but are natural, spontaneous, and organically developing rather than deliberately structured like studied magic. The thing is that, because the ability is intrinsically tied to the soul, soulmancy (animancy in the setting, from I think greek anima - soul), anyone with sufficient knowledge about souls and skill in animancy is capable of altering and creating abilities.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

My system has ranks first then ratings. Ranks are Novice, Expert, Master, Epic, Legendary, Mythic, Deity
Within the first six Rankings, skills are rated at 1 through 9 - once a skill passes 9, it jumps a Rank. Deity, in theory, has no upper limit but, according to the system, the highest-ranking player in the game is Deity 3 in two skills. The MC starts with four Expert and two Novice skills (a typical Traveler (Avatar) has the points for one Master skill, two Epics and four Novices but his skills were chosen by the System, not the player).
There are also Talents - special abilities granted when certain milestones (including accessing a new Rank, or at 'Character Creation') occur. Marksman, Brawler, etc.
Character stats are ranked 1 to ... no known upper limit but, again, according to the System, no Traveler has exceeded 50, for Strength, Dexterity, Agility, Endurance and Willpower. True NPCs have 8 in four stats and 10 in one. Exceptional NPCs have three 8s, one 10 and one 12. Most Travelers start with 15 in one and ten everywhere else. Advancing abilities becomes harder at the "ten" points, so it is easy to raise a stat to 10, takes some effort to get to 20, a lot of effort to get to 30, and gets prohibitive past 40.

 

[LesserCodex]

In my world, skills are representations of one's general skill and mastery. It doesn't represent those who've learned advanced moves or spells of their own will. Think of it like a consensus every swordsman or mage should be able to do at a certain level. When entering a new level the system gives general information on the basic arts or spells that need to be learned, like watching a video and then practising.

An example would be the swordsmanship skill which has three general arts one should be able to master for each level to advance:

1. level 1 swordsmanship basic arts thrust, parry, and slash.
2. level 2 swordsmanship basic arts Draw Cut, Dodge, and Disarm.
3. Level 3 Swordsmanship basic arts Aura/Mana slash, footwork, and Body coat.
4. Level 4 Swordsmanship basic arts Heavy blow, Stone body, and Power leap.
5. Level 5 Swordsmanship basic arts Magic/Aura hand, Empowered shout, and Aura haste.

These moves would require practice to master before the system would advance their skill to the next level. At each new level, the system sort of embeds the previous skills into the psyche making it second nature. The requirements are basic for each level and do not account for advanced arts one learns beyond their level.

So someone with level 1 swordsmanship can perform an Aura slash, but it does not make their skill level 3 as they haven't met the basic requirements. I usually include this for stuff like trump cards which everyone would normally have in a combative world. The same applies to other types of skills, some have two general arts to master before advancing in level. And it's usually up to me to decide.

For the concept of ranking up or skill evolutions, I dont have those that's what the basic requirements are for. And if you want to understand my skill system works like this. I do have skills synergy, in which any skills that resonate would combine into a hybrid skill, (this is just so I don't have so many skills on the screen)

[1/2 - Novice] [3/4 - Adept] [5/6 - advanced] [7/8 - Expert] [9/10 - Master]

Once a skill reaches level 10 and it's mastered the number disappears, because they've reached and mastered the basic requirements of the level which leaves it for them to advance themselves however they want.

 

[mememon]

Delete them and get skill point refund. Now you can invest on other skills.

 

[NotaNuffian]

Delete them and get skill point refund. Now you can invest on other skills.

... ngl, kinda cool... and that I had similar ideas. What I have is that the points can then be used to reroll for new unlearnt skills.

Only issue is how to implement it to not make it too broken.

Second issue is that folks might not like deleting skills, does it mean that MC forgets them etc.

Hence why some chose to merge weak skills instead of deletion.

Ps. I finally recalled what I wamred to say.

A CN has done something similar. MC can maxed out simple skills like deliveryboy or football coach, use "cash out" to delete the skills and get EXP points to upgrade stronger skills like Super Violent Condor Strike.

 

[mememon]

... ngl, kinda cool... and that I had similar ideas. What I have is that the points can then be used to reroll for new unlearnt skills.

Only issue is how to implement it to not make it too broken.

Second issue is that folks might not like deleting skills, does it mean that MC forgets them etc.

Hence why some chose to merge weak skills instead of deletion.

Ps. I finally recalled what I wamred to say.

A CN has done something similar. MC can maxed out simple skills like deliveryboy or football coach, use "cash out" to delete the skills and get EXP points to upgrade stronger skills like Super Violent Condor Strike.

After deleting the skills, maybe the muscle memories are still there and the MC can still perform them to a certain extent. If MC still use and practice it frequently, maybe MC won't forget them permanently or master them organically. This could prevent over reliance on the system.

 

[14H3LL]

I think that that depends on how you want to use the skills, for they can be just an indicator of progress—nothing more—or they can be a way to explain how the MC powers work.
For example, if I want to make an MC who is a magician, I say:
Case A (Progrees Tool): You had a class in school about how to throw fieballs and do a skill for that, then another part of the class talked about how to give more heat to the fire, for example, fire affinity, or you had a class in combat magic, and they taught you how to counter spells with fire magic wood spells. Another skill is if you want a general sill counter spell, if you want to be specific, you say fire mana contol to burn the wood mana or something, or if you want, you just say that it is a general counter spell for all you can do.
Case B (Explanation): Treat skills as if they were Pokemon moves to explain what it is without going into any detail.Fuese skills like fire magic and sword slash to fiery sword slash. Or just say what X skill does X. So that its can be understood and what is possible and unachievable for the MC

 

[ConansWitchBaby]

I tend to like concentrating/condensing skills. Like going from [Binge Drinker]>[Drinker]>[New Alcoholic]>[Master Alcoholic]>[Lord of the Gas Station Gloryhole]

 

[DireBadger]

To Quote Episode 1.
"There's always a bigger fish"

 

[nii07]

I tend to go with a mix of evolution and merging.
Evolution: basically, the more you use a skill, the more you become proficient at the skill and once it maxes out, you'll use skill points to evolve it.
Merging: allows you to take two or more skills and merge them into a better skill. Also require skill points. However, the more you evolve and level up the skills, the less skill points are require to merge.

 

[Ai-chan]

When the ultimate is reached, find an excuse to end the story.